IT company marks fifth year

IT Strategies International Corp. just celebrated its five-year anniversary. The occasion was marked with a decidedly updated new logo and a look back at the company's transition from start up to getting on solid ground.

IT Strategies carved a niche for itself by providing its clients with a "road map" involving their computer needs. More specifically, that means analyzing a company's current and forecasted needs and presenting computer solutions that are tailored to the the clients' business. These strategies affect areas like payroll, purchasing and, in the case of hotel-casinos, their check-in, reservations, show ticket sales and casino cage computer systems.

The company was founded by Michael Beardslee and Michael Marriott who both have backgrounds in computer technology applications. Beardslee has more than 30 years experience and holds a master's degree in business administration from Pepperdine University. At one time, he had his own small consulting business. Marriott has been a primary consultant sine 1980 and specializes in quality assurance for data processing. He holds degrees from Purdue University and Elmhurst College. The pair met when they were both working in Saudi Arabia. They decided to enter into business together and chose Las Vegas for both its opportunities and its weather.

"We saw the growth in Las Vegas and wanted to be the big fish in the small pond rather than a small fish in a big one," Beardslee said. "There is more potential in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, sure, but there's also more competition."

Even though their company had little competition here, they still struggled. The first two years were touch and go and they had to borrow more money than they'd originally planned to keep afloat. Their cash-flow was heavy and they discovered they couldn't just walk into casinos and expect to be greeted with open arms. The casinos had computer contacts and often wouldn't even grant IT Strategies an interview. They have done some work for the Mirage, but that was a small project covering their cage system's credit checks, defaults and high roller play.

"We'd love to have Caesars Palace as a client," Marriott said. "I understand they're adding a lot of innovative technology and installing new software. It'd a good company to work with and it'd be great exposure for us."

Casinos may not be banging down their door, but the pair's first customers were large accounts. They had contracts with Nevada Power, Sierra Health Services. Southwest Gas Corporation, Clark County, Clark County School District and the city of Las Vegas. Most recent is the Water Authority, which has a myriad of needs to be addressed.

"It's much easier and more cost-effective (to have IT Strategies come in) than training your own staff or upgrading your systems without properly skilled management in place," said Paul Bruno, information technology director for the city of Henderson, which used IT Strategies a number of times.

Over the past five years, IT Strategies has grown from two employees to 30 and this spring added a vice president of sales and marketing to the staff, Vernon Dixon. Last year, the company's gross revenue was approximately $2 million, up 600 percent from the first year of operation. The next five will see even more growth, they said. IT Strategies wants to expand its business base here and is looking at opportunities in Reno.

"I want ours to be the premier, top consulting firm in the computer field in Las Vegas," Beardslee said with a wide grin. "It's not unreasonable."

Marriott said every state in the union wants to develop a Silicon Valley, but he doesn't see it happening here.

"That's a pipe dream right now but we don't want to say it'll never happen," he said. "It just won't be soon."

He said the perception of Las Vegas has to change before companies will locate here. Right now, too many people just see the city only for its glitz and glamour, despite efforts of Mayor Oscar Goodman and Henderson's Mayor James Gibson.

Since beginning operations in 1996, IT Strategies assembled a pool of highly-trained technology professionals and molded them into a team. Nevada is ranked 45th in the nation in the number of per capita technology jobs, according to the American Electronics Association. As computer technology is constantly changing, IT Strategies is committed to keeping its technicians up-to-date with on-going training and seminars. Beardslee talked of the changes to be seen in computers like gas meter readings being done by global satellite, Internet access with no bump-offs as lines get busy and field workers being able to input data directly from handheld units to their company's main server without limitations. As changes occur in computers, the services of IT Strategies will be even more in demand.

Both partners agree they have a world of opportunity waiting for them just in Las Vegas and they'll only get bigger in the next five years.

"It's not like we're not competing against giant companies here," Beardslee said. "In L.A. , we'd (be up against) companies with 500-600 consultants. Here, there are only a few companies doing what we do."